The present invention relates generally to a machine for closing a carton with a length of tape that has a pull tab at one end which facilitates removing the tape when the carton is to be opened.
Cardboard boxes or cartons are conventionally used to store and transport numerous articles of modest weight. In many industrial uses of cardboard boxes the boxes could be reused if they were not damaged in their previous use. In these industrial uses there is usually a need to secure the box closed when it is being used. A customary way of securing closed a cardboard box is called, "fan folding". Fan folding, is a system of sequentially folding down three flaps of the cardboard box and then distorting or bending the fourth flap so that its one half locks under the first flap that was closed in the sequence. The step of distorting or bending the fourth flap takes its toll on the life expectancy of the box. About five uses of a cardboard box that has been fan folded is average. A cardboard box can also be taped close with various types of tape. Cartons that have been taped closed have an even shorter life expectancy than those that have been fan folded, and opening a taped carton without destroying it is a time consuming process.
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a method for applying a length of adhesive tape to a carton while forming a pull tab at one end of the tape.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a machine that will apply a length of tape to two surfaces of a carton that are at right angles to each other and fold one end of the tape back on itself to produce a pull tab that will facilitate removing of the tape.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a machine that will apply a length of tape to a carton and form a pull tab at one end of the length of tape, the tape being of a type that will secure the carton close but can be removed without destroying the carton.